Oct. 18, 2013

Jeff Mitchell / The Salinas Californian

Written by

Under the Dome

Let’s be fair and call what happened with the Oldtown Salinas Association this week a reaction to some very misdirected frustration.

Maybe it was possibly what we used to call launching a trial balloon (you, know: “Float it up there and see who tries to shoot it down,”).

Whatever it was, I think we can all agree that OSA’s draft letter trying to persuade City Hall to “target” the First Methodist Church was a gigantic public relations fiasco.

Seriously? Who thinks going after a church that spends much of its limited time and treasure simply helping the downtrodden is a brilliant, winning PR strategy?

Guys, gals, if you wanted some attention, why didn’t you just go club seals or something else cute and furry for crying out loud?

Jim Luther, pastor of First Methodist, came packing with a graceful, persuasive speech and a lawyer who made it clear the good preacher wasn’t to be messed with.

I’m calling it Luther’s take on the old “speak softly and carry a big stick” routine.

But let’s give OSA credit for one thing: The homeless issue in downtown just got moved back to the front burner and that’s a good thing.

Only, I have to admit I’m a bit confused.

I’m wondering how, after all those community meetings last fall and winter, this issue could devolve so badly? How could it fall so many rungs back on the civic agenda?

What I think happened last fall was this: Amit Pandya, OSA’s president at the time, was starting to get real traction on this issue and he starting to produce some real pressure on City Manager Ray Corpuz Jr.,District 3 Councilman Steve McShane and the rest of City Hall.

But I imagine the word was passed to the well-meaning Pandya and, presto, no more community meetings and no more pressure.

In other words, we all witnessed the political version of the Texas two-step danced right here in Salinas.

Of course, the irony of a former OSA president being the leader of last year’s efforts is almost too much to take when you think of this week’s targeting effort against the church.

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Let me just say this flat out: The church, Luther and his homeless assistance programs are not the problem.

In fact, they are just the start. They are the solution.

Now I can just hear the whining coming from some City Council members and some administrators at 200 Lincoln Ave.

They all will be screaming: Social services is a county problem! We don’t have the money!

Maybe so.

But until the county gets off its butt and starts doing something here in Salinas, the problem falls to the city.

And listen, city people, if you really want to make things better for the merchants in the downtown area, then you’ll get going with some meaningful programs that can help these folks.

As I have written before, politics, homelessness and massive city charter amendments just don’t go well together.

Homeless assistance programs, after all, suck down budgets like a vampire at a blood bank and homeless people, for myriad reasons, typically don’t vote and they certainly don’t write fat campaign contribution checks. So, really, there’s not much there for the typical muncipal elected.

But let’s just remember this: Thousands of us (including a few on the council) are just a check or two or three away from being out there ourselves in this crappy economy.

Moreover, it’s easy to label these unfortunates as “homeless” and suddenly they stop being quite human to us. They become more like roaming bison – something to be avoided and managed only if absolutely necessary.

They are people and they are very much your residents and constituents.

So deal with it.

Help them.

Please.

As I’ve gotten to know Mayor Joe Gunter I have come to respect him as a good man and a politician who keeps his word. He’s a man who cares a great deal about Salinas and all Salinans – regardless of whether they have roofs over their heads or not.

Mind you, I don’t always agree with him on some issues but so what? His heart is in the right place and that’s what counts.

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Last winter, Joe said he wanted to build some kind of large temporary warming shelter and feeding station – perhaps under a large weather-proof tent on an empty lot or in an unused building somewhere in the downtown.

The shelter never quite happened.

There was also talk about placing portable toilets in the downtown so that street folk could have a shred or two of dignity returned to them.

(Oh, merchants, if you think encountering someone’s stinky defecation in your entranceway is horrible, think about the experience of the person who had to squat there and do his or her business. Think of how you might feel if you were that person left in that situation.)

The bathrooms never happened, either.

So now, almost a year later, maybe Gunter and the council will find the necessary mojo (and dollars) to make these things happen.

All I know is that whining and pointing fingers – from either the council dais or the OSA offices – ain’t going to get it done.

So, in the spirit of helping to keep a laser focus on this issue, I present to you Day 1: Salinas Homeless Warming Shelter Project Watch.

Under this new (Hi, Jose!) watch, we all join in and count the days before City Council erects the first tent poll or opens the door of a building to temporarily warm, feed and provide services to the homeless of Salinas.

Look around. We’re smack in the middle of fall and winter will formally start Dec. 21.

At night, it's getting cold outside if you haven't noticed.

With Mayor Gunter’s leadership and the community’s help, we can do this.

After all, if we can bundle millions and millions for the spectacular new Rabobank Stadium and the incredible and much-needed Tatum’s Garden project from the members of this same community, I know we can make this much more modest project happen, too.

Let’s get to work.

Jeff Mitchell covers Salinas Valley politics and government. Under the Dome, an opinion column, appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday in print and online. For quick political hits, check out Under the Dome – The Blog available most every day at www.theCalifornian.com.